


Red, As Far As The Eye Can See

by remmie



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games)
Genre: Abandoned Labratory, Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Gadget is the custom hero btw, Gen, Graphic Description, Infinite Angst, Sonic and Tails are like brothers in this, Zero is Infinite's actual name
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:14:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24127228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remmie/pseuds/remmie
Summary: At the end of Sonic Forces, Eggman decided to keep Infinite locked in a cage- but in the haste of abandoning his base before the Resistance got there, he left Infinite to rot. How will Sonic and his team react to Infinite? Where is the Phantom Ruby? And.. Why can Infinite barely remember anything?
Relationships: Miles "Tails" Prower & Sonic the Hedgehog
Comments: 13
Kudos: 49





	1. Not Quite Dead, Yet

**Author's Note:**

> I came up with this idea at like, one pm, then I wrote it down and fell asleep, and then continued it at like 3 am- What has my life come to?
> 
> Quick warning! There is graphic descriptions of injuries in this chapter, as well as in depth descriptions of an abandoned lab. If that makes you uncomfortable, please don't read this! Instead, skip to the end notes for a non-graphic summary, so whenever I post the next chapter, you have the option of still reading and not missing out on any important story bits!

The Eggman base was dark and hastily abandoned- it was clear in the things scattered, tubes broken and robots messily evacuated or even left behind. The Resistance had been slowly finding all of Eggman's bases, and it looked like this one had been inhabited recently. Eggman must have noticed them scouting out the area and panicked, because the last time the team had been there, it was fully functional and still in use.

There were robots around- most of them were deactivated, but a few sprung to life just to attempt to kill the group. Silver and Amy ended up splitting off to deal with a whole bunch of them that were probably left as a trap- Gadget ended up following after them, because there were a lot more than expected. That left just Sonic and Tails to explore Dr. Eggman’s lab.

Something was off, though. There was a familiar stench that remained, and phantom ruby prototype shards could be found in various locations. Luckily, none of them worked. Tails ended up walking in on a huge room filled with test tubes- a few were shattered open, thick liquid flowing out of them and onto the floor, while others remained intact. Some of them had disfigured creatures still inside, but it didn’t look like any of them were alive. On one table in the lab lay the shattered remains of Infinite's mask. An area that looked like it was supposed to be for the Phantom Ruby, originally, had a piece of tape plastered over it that just read "FAILURE." As he inspected the area, he heard shuffling and froze, his eyes locked onto a corner on the opposite side of the room. He approached cautiously, before freezing in place once more.

"Sonic!" he called, and soon enough his best friend- and brother figure- showed up beside him. "What is it, Tails?" he asked, glancing around for any possibly online robots.

Tails pointed to a cage, the suddenly clear smell of blood almost overwhelming. "Look." he whispered, his hand shaking. Sonic’s breath hitched. 

The floor of the cage was covered in dried and fresh blood, some of it even having poured out. The lock was still on it, secured shut, but it had been clearly scratched at. What was most horrifying, however, was the creature- no, _person_ still inside the cage. It was covered in bandages, and its silhouette was strikingly familiar, but it barely looked alive. That is, until it moved- it shuffled slightly, away from the locked door and, simultaneously, Sonic and Tails. Its muscles were tense and its tail twitched.

It looked up suddenly when Sonic stepped forwards. It had a muzzle clamped tightly around its mouth, preventing it from opening it very far. Despite this, its mouth was open as far as possible, and it was panting slightly, tongue out. There were marks along its jaw where the muzzle had dug into its thin fur. 

One eye was blue and the other yellow- The left with a large yet old scar over it. Its hair was long and tangled- some parts were matted with blood. It had probably been white at some point, but now it was an almost greyish brown color. The bandages around its chest, arms and legs were bloodied and old. It had untreated injuries, as well; a scrape on its cheek, a bloodied tail, and various cuts and bruises, especially on its face and shoulders.

What was probably the worst about the state of the figure was the heavy chains keeping it in place. There was a metal collar around its neck and two heavy looking cuffs around one of its ankles and one of its wrists.

It stared into Sonic's eyes and he shuddered. "Yikes. We should probably get them out of there..."

Tails looked nervous about that. "But- what if they're dangerous? I don't think Eggman would be that... _harsh_ , unless they were... you know..."

Sonic shook his head. "No matter how dangerous they may be, no one deserves to be locked up like that. Come on, Tails, help me get him out."

Tails glanced at the bloodied creature and squeaked. "B-but what if it's Infinite? It looks creepily like him..."

Sonic sighed. "Tails, even if it _does_ end up being Infinite, I really doubt he could do anything to us when he's injured like this. Besides," He knelt down to fiddle with the lock, the creature's gaze following him. "If he was really that dangerous to us, do you think he'd still be in the cage? I said what I said; no one deserves to be locked up like this."

Tails nodded. "Alright, Sonic. I trust you. I'll look around for a key or something we could lockpick with."

Sonic smiled reassuringly at Tails- he knew he meant the best- before returning his attention to the lock. "I wonder if I could just break it..." he muttered under his breath, jiggling it slightly.

The creature's pupils widened slightly and they almost relaxed. It rasped something barely audible, causing Sonic to pause.

"What'd you say, buddy?" he tilted his head slightly. Tails was right- it did kind of look like Infinite without the mask, if that was even possible with all of its injuries. Then again, it didn’t have the giant rock in his chest now- it was just bloody bandages. What could even be _under_ there? If it _was_ Infinite, would there just be a gaping hole? The phantom ruby was only protruding about a third of the way- that meant the other two thirds had to have been _inside of Infinite._ Where would his organs go to make room for that?

It took a few shaky breaths before pushing out some hoarse and quiet words: "The doctor hates you... so much." To that, Sonic chuckled awkwardly. "Haha- yeah, not old news to me... He kind of trapped me for six months, I might've gotten the message, then..."

It coughed, with a sound as if it were tearing through its lungs. "He'd always... rant about you. When he came in here..." it huffed. "Wish I could've... bit him more than once..."

Sonic frowned. "Did he do this to you...?" he asked quietly, so that Tails wouldn't hear. Tails was far enough away he likely hadn't heard any of their conversation.

The creature- or, person- just nodded, closing its eyes and leaning back into the bars behind it. "Can you tell me your name?" Sonic asked, looking back down at the lock in an attempt to figure out where to hit it in order to break it.

"It was... Zero... I think." the figure took a shaky breath. "Before he took everything away..." it coughed again, and Sonic hissed in frustration.

"Alright, Zero, We'll get you out of here, promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Non-graphic chapter summary: While exploring Eggman's abandoned base, Tails and Sonic find Infinite (without his mask) severely injured and trapped. After a short conversation, Sonic promises Infinite, introduced as Zero, that he will get him out.
> 
> \---
> 
> Yes, I am planning on making this a full on book- I even have some sort of outline going on right now, though it's mostly just things I thought of on the spot. I might not update this for a while, but I promise the next chapter is in the works right now!


	2. Breaking The Locks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tails calls for the help of Amy, Silver and Gadget. Sonic uses his words to convince them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previous chapter non-graphic summary: While exploring Eggman's abandoned base, Tails and Sonic find Infinite (without his mask) severely injured and trapped. After a short conversation, Sonic promises Infinite, introduced as Zero, that he will get him out.  
> \------  
> Warnings for this chapter! Multiple mentions of a muzzle and various injuries not described graphically. If there are any others I missed, please tell me!

Tails’ teeth chattered together as he hugged himself- the laboratory was incredibly cold, and they hadn’t brought the supplies to deal with it. Even the jackal within the stupid entrapment was shivering violently. Tails gritted his teeth and knelt beside Sonic, who was still studying the lock. “What do you think, Sonic?” He asked, his voice wavering.

“I think that it’s going to be pretty hard to break this lock on my own.” Tails frowned at his pseudo-brother’s response, and stood up again.

“I could call the team.” Tails offered, rubbing the back of his hand. He wasn’t really sure how great of an idea that was, given that the jackal they were attempting to save previously destroyed a majority of the world and had a death toll of thousands and rising- More and more of the missing list kept switching over to the lost every day. Tails started to pace as Sonic remained silent. 

The jackal himself didn’t move much- just a few shuffles and movements. He did, at some point while Tails was nervously walking in circles, lock his gaze on the young fox. Tails only noticed a few minutes later, freezing in place. Despite being practically helpless, and without his mask or presumably powers, Infinite was still utterly terrifying. Once Tails had noticed, however, the jackal simply blinked and looked down at the blood coating the floor.

“Uh- Ss- Sonic, can Infinite speak…?” He stumbled on his words, his mind running in circles too fast for his voice to catch up.

“Well, yeah. And, he said his name was Zero.” Sonic stood up, starting to circle the cage as best as he could, looking for… something. He didn’t say what he was looking for.

“Wwell, Zero! Uh. Do you, uh, remember anything before being in the uh, cage…?” Tails approached slightly, sitting down next to the damaged jackal. A shiver went up his spine when the empty gaze returned to him, and Tails was pretty sure it wasn’t from the cold. Infinite- no, Zero wheezed a breath. _They have a muzzle on, how the heck did they talk to Sonic?!_

“Right- Wh, well, I’m just going to assume you can’t talk much anymore! Um.” Tails scrambled to his feet and backed up a bit, looking to Sonic for comfort- except Sonic was busy. He was walking around the cage and rubbing at the bars every once and a while- probably looking for something important.

“Sonic!” Tails exclaimed, louder than he intended. The jackal flinched back from his voice, and for some reason Tails felt... guilty. “Ss- Sonic, uh, can I call the rest of our squad? I feel like if we had everyone here it would be… you know, easier to get him… them out?” This time, Tails kept his voice lower. Sonic looked up at him and smiled- a reassuring look. Tails visibly relaxed; Sonic was okay, and things would be okay.

“Go for it, Tails.” Sonic gave his little brother a thumbs up and a wider smile, making Tails relax just a bit more. He detached the radio from his belt and held it around a foot in front of his face, pressing the little button and taking a breath.

“This is Tails speaking! We- Sonic and I found something- no, someone, and we need the whole squad’s help to get them out. Just the people on our current expedition, though.”

Tails noted the chaos of noise as soon as he stopped speaking, and he turned his radio on again to shout into it, “One person speak at a time, please!” he rubbed his ears and glanced apologetically to Zero, who looked like the sound bothered him just as much as it bothered Tails.

_“Tails, how quickly do we need to get there?”_ Amy. Tails thanked the stars, someone responsible- Silver and Gadget were great and all, but they could be a bit dumb sometimes. Tails was also pretty sure Gadget couldn’t actually speak, seeing as the rookie-turned-hero had never once spoken to him directly- They only signed their words or used universal signals and expressions to communicate.

“Not that fast- we can wait, if you have something preoccupying you- but you should get here as fast as you can, because there’s… uh, blood, and I think they’re still bleeding.” Tails glanced at the jackal again. “And, uh, everyone needs to promise not to panic as soon as they see them, because that would just make things take way longer. Tails signing off!”

_“Wait, Tails, why would we panic-”_ Tails reattached the radio, turning it down significantly. Not enough that if someone were to yell for their help that he wouldn’t be able to hear, but enough that he could block out the confused arguments that eventually died down.

It took them approximately twenty minutes to get there. Tails may or may not have been counting- there was no idle chatter between him and Sonic. Zero didn’t talk either. Tails started mumbling, but other than that it was just the quiet hum of the test tubes and the sound of distant fighting- probably Amy and the rest of their team pushing through the robots still laying around. The silence was finally broken as Tails got to the final word of his quiet mumbling and Amy opened the door, peeking through.

“Oh, _yikes.”_ she frowned, looking around the room. “This place is creepy… Oh, Tails!” she lit up when she saw him in perfect health, and beckoned the other two members of their team: Silver and Gadget. Silver looked around the laboratory carefully, not heading straight for Tails like Amy and Gadget did. In fact, Silver started to inspect the same things Tails had been carefully analyzing whenever he first came in.

“Amy!” Tails accepted the hug she wrapped him in with a nervous but relieved smile. He pulled away and his smile faltered. “Um- So, uh- We found someone…?” Amy nodded, and Tails gestured with his head towards the cage Sonic was currently sitting beside.

There was a soft gasp from Gadget and a sharp intake of breath from Amy. Silver walked over, confused, and let out a noise of surprise as well. Tails rubbed the back of his neck, and Sonic straightened. “Heya guys.” he waved with a lopsided smile.  
“Sonic, how do you look so calm, Infinite is literally right there-”

“Where is the phantom ruby?!”

“Guys, calm down!”

“Why is he just sitting there?! Wait, is he bleeding?”

“Guys!” Sonic exclaimed, pushing himself up and putting his hand on top of the cage. “Quiet down, you’re hurting even _my_ ears with all this yelling. Let me explain a bit, okay?”

Amy hesitated, staring at the terribly dirty bandages, and Silver fumed. “What is there to explain, Sonic?! Infinite is literally already in a cage! What’s the problem here?!”

Sonic sighed. “I would expect this from Knuckles, but not from you, Silver. If this was anyone else, would you let them just sit here, chained up like this? He has a muzzle!”

Silver paused, actually looking past the image of Infinite in his head, and he shuddered. The jackal made eye contact after a few moments, and it felt like a corpse was staring into Silver’s soul. He did have a muzzle- he also had untreated scrapes and cuts, swells on his cheek and thighs from bruises… It was disturbing. “Oh… Stars…”

“Look. Hey, wanna tell them what you told me?” Sonic knelt down, tapping on the metal slightly so the jackal inside would notice.

“...My name?” They rasped, their voice barely audible. Sonic nodded, and they turned back to look at the four staring at him. He put as much power into his voice as he could so that they could actually hear him, and spoke. “I’m pretty sure my name is number Zero, but with everyone calling me Infinite, I’m starting to doubt myself again.” he took a breath, wincing and clutching his chest with the uncuffed hand.

The room fell silent, and Zero didn’t move from his new curled up position. Amy broke the silence with a soft, “I don’t think I could leave them here and forgive myself…”

“Exactly.” Sonic agreed. “No one- and I mean _no one_ deserves to be locked up like this.” Silver looked like he disagreed, but he didn’t say anything. Tails, however, did.

“Doctor Eggman deserves it!” He exclaimed into the mostly silent room, tense but firm. Sonic looked surprised, and he paused, quiet for a significant time before finally breaking the silence once more. “This isn’t Doctor Eggman, though, is it?”

Amy pulled out the smaller of her hammers and walked over with a purpose. Sonic looked startled and almost tried to stop her, but she pushed him aside and smashed the lock with a fire burning in her eyes. The cage door swung open easily, and she put the hammer up with ease. “Tails, can you find some kind of cutters I can use for these chains?” She asked, completely ignoring Silver and Sonic.

Gadget waved their arms around and pointed at themself, and Amy smiled. “Thanks, Gadget.” With that assurance they were seen, Gadget rushed out of the room. Tails stuttered something and followed- something about keeping in groups.

Gadget and Tails returned quickly enough, and as the sun started its descent outside, there was finally the clang of the cuffs falling free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter summary: Tails attempts to converse with Zero and gets too nervous- instead, he calls for the help of the rest of their team: Amy, Silver, and Gadget. After a few arguments and some strong words of morality from Sonic, Amy smashes the lock and breaks Zero free from the cuffs as the sun begins its descent in the sky outside.  
> \--------  
> Fun fact, this entire chapter came from two paragraphs of writing in my original draft for this chapter. I have no idea how I did that, but it happened! I felt like I needed to flesh out the situation better, so I did! I hope you guys enjoy, and I appreciate every comment and kudos you leave!!


	3. Hearing, No Sound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero can't quite focus on the real world, even now that he's free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter summary: Tails attempts to converse with Zero and gets too nervous- instead, he calls for the help of the rest of their team: Amy, Silver, and Gadget. After a few arguments and some strong words of morality from Sonic, Amy smashes the lock and breaks Zero free from the cuffs as the sun begins its descent in the sky outside.  
> \---  
> Warnings for this chapter: Descriptions of dissociation, ringing in the ears, and brief mention of the muzzle.. Please tell me if there's anything else I should mention in the warnings!

Amy tried to get Zero to come out of the cage just on her own, but he ended up flinching away from her gentle touch. She frowned slightly but backed up nonetheless. “Hey, Sonic, do you think you could…?”

Sonic didn’t need to be asked twice. He approached and knelt in front of the cage, smiling reassuringly at the cautious jackal within. “Hey, Zero. Could you try to get out on your own, or do you need some help?” There was a soft grunt in response, followed by Zero slowly unfolding himself and crawling out of the cage. He pushed himself up on his own, using the sides of the cage, but as soon as he took an experimental step, he fell forwards.

Thankfully, however, rather than the cold and hard feeling of the floor, instead he fell into someone’s arms- Sonic. He had caught Zero before he could fall to the ground and likely get more injuries- maybe a concussion or something. Zero mumbled a thanks, leaning most of his weight on Sonic though still attempting to walk along, so he wouldn’t just be dead weight; a burden that should be left behind.

Zero did start looking around, since there wasn’t much movement yet- the group was still talking about something. He didn’t have the energy to try to tune in, instead letting his hearing turn back to quiet ringing as he took one last look at the nightmarish laboratory around him. The tubes, the mask- That mask haunted his nightmares, even in its shattered form. He took in the looks of his saviors… kidnappers? He wasn’t sure at this point, but they weren’t the Doctor. Despite freeing him from his chains and ‘cell’, they didn’t bother to take off his muzzle; although, Zero figured that might have something to do with them continuously calling him Infinite rather than his identification number. 

A heavy feeling built up in his chest, and he suddenly realized why all these faces were somewhat familiar (except for the girl in red)- He had fought all of them in his dreams- memories? It was all faint, tainted in a red tint, but he was certain that most of these people were a part of his nightmares. It terrified him, and he turned his gaze back to the floor. Memories pushed from the back of his head, trying to assault him with a headache and things he didn’t want to know as a reality.

Perhaps, though, it was inevitable- as much as Zero didn’t want to accept that the worst of his nightmares was the real truth, just by using the name these people used did Zero knew that it was something he’d have to accept eventually. What was strange was he only remembered their faces- and screaming, but it was coming from himself. He knew the name he used in that dream- ‘Infinite’, as a reference to his project name.

He didn’t remember much else about that dream- memories? They were blurry, so all he knew was that he was on the opposite side from them. Knowing the Doctor, he was likely being used as a weapon- ruby and all.

_ The ruby! _ pain shot through his chest at the thought, and he stumbled slightly. They had started walking at some point- Zero was too caught up in his head to notice, though.  _ The ruby- damn it! _ Zero winced, his free hand clutching his chest once more. The ruby had been one of the few things that kept Zero truly sane while stuck in that stupid cell- yet as soon as he had woken up and seen the facility abandoned, he had noted the absence of its comforting presence almost immediately. He had purposefully been ignoring that it was gone, to avoid an utter breakdown.  _ The Phantom Ruby isn’t- wait. It didn’t feel there, but… The pulse. I don’t have a gaping hole in my chest, either… I thought I did. Is the ruby… hiding? _

Multiple reasons as for why the ruby might hide flashed through Zero’s mind- anything from protecting itself from the Doctor to protecting him from those who found him. Maybe it was an attempt to separate itself from Zero- though that didn’t make any sense. No other jackals existed in the entire world, not anymore- not according to the data that the Doctor had acquired, at least. The ruby had seemed to believe that Zero was the last of the jackals, as well. 

Zero then thought of what the ruby had shown him of the ancient civilization he was from (based off of?). It had made him jealous at the time, of the community and family that he was deprived of- but now, it just made him sad. He wasn’t even a true jackal- he wasn’t born like the ruby implied its past holders had been. Zero was made entirely to harness the power of the ruby- At the time, the ruby had accepted him in desperation for a holder. So then, why would it hide…?

_ Oh. _

Zero gasped a breath, the realization of what the ruby was doing making him aware of the physical exertion he was going through. Sonic said something in his ear, but Zero couldn’t process it- he just winced and flattened his ears against his head. The ringing was disappearing, and he was starting to hear all of the other people talking. It hurt his head, and he almost wished the ringing could come back; at least he could ignore that.

He could understand that they were talking to him, since most of them were looking at him expectantly and saying things he couldn’t quite understand yet. He mumbled a string of words in the hopes he was understandable- and the close and strong voice of Sonic responded with a response he could hear.

“Zero, deep breaths.”

The command startled Zero into realizing that he was hyperventilating, and he was violently pushed back into the real world- everything was almost too much to handle. The feeling of Sonic carrying him, rubbing against his half-closed wounds, the sound of footsteps and loud voices, the echo of the laboratory as a whole; it made Zero want to curl up into a ball and never move again. Despite that, he forced his breathing to slow, and he focused his eyes (finally) onto the ground in front of him. They were still walking, but now… It was different, slightly.

“We’re almost out, alright?” Sonic reassured, and somehow Zero found himself relaxing. It was so odd- being reassured by the one person that was indirectly the cause of all of his pain, when he was with the Doctor. A dark part of his mind wondered if maybe this was a dream just like everything else that had happened outside the facility.

He felt something warm hit his face and he blinked, looking up at something bright setting below the horizon. He vaguely recognized it as the ‘sunset’, and he almost managed a relieved smile. He didn’t remember the last time he saw the sun, if he ever really did. There was a gust of wind and he closed his eyes, relishing in the feeling of the breeze against his fur.

Things would be okay… Zero could only hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter summary: Zero is taken out of the cage and his cuffs, although he cannot walk on his own, and the muzzle is not removed. He zones out as the group walks, thinking mainly of what could be happening, especially with the phantom ruby, which has hidden itself inside his body. He is forced out of his thoughts, however, whenever the group leaves the facility, and gets to see the sunset and feel the breeze for the first time in a long while.  
> \--  
> hey guys.... remmie here.... I'm pretty tired but I managed to find the inspiration to continue this. Apologies to anyone who also reads the chatfic- I'm not going to be updating that for a little longer.  
> Also, if you guys are interested, this is the discord I share with a friend: https://discord.gg/wB4XnU9  
> I'm making this fic an official part of the server,,,

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my discord! https://discord.gg/HVpuUP3  
> and my tumblr! https://remmieapproved.tumblr.com/  
> -remmie


End file.
